Cursed
by lorilee66
Summary: Eugene Barkley finally comes home, but what did he bring with him?
1. Chapter 1

"Mother! Mother, where are you?"

Victoria heaved a deep sigh. "Nick, I'm not deaf," she scolded as she walked into the foyer. "Though I don't know why not with the way you shout every time you come into this house."

Nick ignored the rebuke, waving an envelope. "Guess who we just got a letter from." He handed it to his mother with a flourish.

Victoria read the return address. "I don't believe it."

"Don't believe what?" Heath tossed his hat on the hall table as he entered the house.

Victoria was still staring at the envelope. "It's a letter from Eugene."

"Eugene?" Heath shook his head in astonishment. "Boy howdy, I thought we'd lost him. Where's the letter from, anyway?"

"It's postmarked Cairo," Victoria told them as she opened the envelope and started reading.

"Cairo? Isn't that in Egypt?"

Victoria nodded at Nick's question. "Don't you remember? He wrote to us before he left England, saying he was putting medical school on hold to go with a new friend on a archeological expedition. Listen to this.

'_Made some wonderful discoveries over here, but I miss you and all the family. I will be heading home soon. If the ship and trains are on schedule, look for me to arrive back in Stockton on October 27. Your loving son, Eugene'_."

Heath raised and eyebrow. "Nick, isn't today October 27?" he asked.

"Hey, you're right!" Nick exclaimed. "That means Gene could be home today!"

A smile lit up Victoria's face. "And with Audra returning home from Denver tomorrow and Jarrod just back from San Francisco, the whole family will finally be together again!"


	2. Chapter 2

Due to the vaguarities of intercontinental voyages, the weary world traveler arrived home two days later to the hugs, kisses and backslapping of his family.

_It's good to be home again_, Eugene Barkley thought to himself for at least the twelfth time. He'd delved into the mysteries of the ages, but nothing beat the sight of the ranch he grew up on and the walls of the house he called home. It had been almost three years since he'd been in Stockton and he was ready to stay put for a while. His brothers hadn't changed a bit, even Heath, who Eugene had only gotten to know during school breaks, but he was amazed how grown up Audra had become in the time he was away.

Eugene started off anticipating a brilliant career in medicine and had been thrilled to receive an invitation to study at London's University College Hospital. Always a lover of the classics, being introduced to Homer and Ovid by his eldest brother at an early age, Eugene attended a lecture by Wm. Flinders Petrie on the construction of Stonehenge, arguably one of the wonders of the world. The two young scholars, being the same age, struck up a fast friendship and when Petrie invited Eugene to come along on his expedition to the Great Pyramid at Giza, Eugene abandoned his medical studies in favor of a venture into archeology. He spent almost two years in various locations around Egypt before being struck with an overwhelming longing to return to the valley he called home. Eugene finally realized he was meant to be a healer and vowed to himself he'd finish his medical training and be the best physician Stockton had ever seen. But first…

"Oh, Eugene, it's so lovely!" Audra took the heavy silver and turquoise necklace out of its box to show the family. She kissed her youngest brother on the cheek. "Now all I need is a dress to wear it with!"

The rest of the family had gifts too; more jewelry for his mother and finely crafted leather belts and gloves for his three brothers. Eugene was gratified by his family's appreciation of his gifts and the best was yet to come.

He turned to the wooden crate still sitting on the parlour floor. "Could someone get me something to open this, please?"

"Yeah, sure." Nick left the room and returned with a small pry bar. "How's this?"

"That'll do." Eugene carefully pried the lid off the crate, exposing the straw packing. He reverently lifted out the four jars and set them on the small table in front of the sofa. The family gathered around curiously, except for Heath, who kept his distance.

"And what, may I ask, are those?" Victoria wanted to know.

"These are canopic jars," Eugene explained. "Each head on the lids represents a god of the ancient Egyptians; Duamutef is the jackal, Qebehsenuef the falcon, the baboon represents Hapy and the human head is Imseti."

"The carving is exquisite," Audra exclaimed. "What do you keep in them?"

Eugene grinned mischievously. "They were used thousands of years ago when kings of Egypt were buried. Do you know what a mummy is?"

"Yes, I do," Heath broke in, "I know what those are too, and I say we get them as far away from the ranch as possible."

Jarrod fixed Heath with a quizzical look. "I also know what they are, brother Heath, but I don't see why you're so concerned." At his family's questioning expressions, Jarrod enlightened them. "Canopic jars were used to house a body's organs after a person was deceased. It was one of the steps in mummification, the process used in ancient Egypt to preserve bodies after death."

Victoria looked at her youngest son, appalled. "Eugene, whatever possessed you to bring something like that home?"

Heath shook his head, a frown creasing his brow. "Possessed is exactly the word I'd use, Mother." Seeing the bemused looks around him, Heath explained, "I worked with one of those traveling carnivals for a few months, helping set up and pull down tents. One of the exhibits was 'Wonders of the Pharaohs'. They had things like that there, they said taken from tombs in Egypt. Didn't believe the stories of the curses at first, but after a while, when things started happening, I can tell you it'd make a believer out of anybody."

"Oh, come on," Nick scoffed, "there's no such thing as a curse."

"I don't want to be around if you're wrong, Nick," Heath replied. "Some pretty nasty things happened until the carnival owner got rid of that exhibit."

Jarrod picked up the falcon-headed jar. "Well, I for one have no problem with the idea of the Mummy's Curse. I think this would make an excellent conversation piece for my office. That is, if you have no objection, Gene."

"Please, be my guest." Eugene tried to stifle a huge yawn. "Sorry, everyone. It's been a busy few weeks of traveling, I think I'll head off to bed."

"We gotta be up early, too," Nick stated. "Need to start moving the herds to winter pasture." He reached out and ruffled Eugene's hair before his younger brother could get away. "Coming with us, college boy?"

"I'm a bit out of practice," Eugene warned.

Heath gave him a slight grin. "Don't worry, Gene, we'll pick out a nice, quiet horse for you." He walked over to kiss his mother and sister on the cheek. " 'Night." He shuddered as he passed the table holding the jars and hoped Jarrod and Nick were right, that there was nothing to worry about.

.

The morning dawned bright and clear, a perfect day for being outdoors.

"I think I'm going to take my new mare out riding today," Audra announced over breakfast. "Does anyone want to join me?"

"I'd love to, honey," Jarrod said as he poured himself another cup of coffee, "but I've got a lot of work waiting for me at the office. You have fun, though."

Audra turned an expectant face on her youngest brother. "Gene? Wouldn't it be fun to spend the day together?"

Eugene glanced at the two ranchers sitting across the table. Nick was giving him a dark look and Heath… Heath was steadily eating his breakfast, obviously not wanting to get involved. Eugene sighed. "Yes, it would, Audra," he said at last, "but I promised Nick and Heath I'd help move cattle today. Maybe tomorrow?"

Audra gave him a pout. "Maybe I won't want to go riding tomorrow." She looked so hurt and offended that Eugene was going to risk his brothers' wrath and relent when she laughed. "Oh, Gene, of course I'll want to go riding with you tomorrow and any day after that. It's been way too long since we've spent any time together."

Victoria finished her coffee and placed her napkin back on the table. "Speaking of way too long, Eugene, I was thinking of throwing a little party tomorrow evening to welcome you home. We can invite some of your old friends and some of the neighbours. You can tell us all what you've been up to these past few years."

"What a wonderful idea, Mother!" Audra exclaimed. "I can wear that new necklace Gene brought me."

Nick chuckled. "You sure anyone'll come? Gene's been gone so long, I'd be surprised if anyone in town even remembers he exists."

"Hey, I'll have you know I'm very memorable," Eugene protested, trying to ignore the snickers of his brothers. "In fact, after a day out on the range, you'll all wonder how you ever got along without me."

"Is that a fact?" Nick was grinning widely as he looked over at Heath. "Think college boy here is gonna be any help?"

Heath's answering grin was directed at his youngest brother. "Seems to me, Nick, this place's been coming apart at the seams these past few years. Maybe Gene's just what we need to turn it around."

Nick snorted as he grabbed a roll and stuffed a few slices of meat inside. "Well, it will fall apart if we don't get a move on." He got up from the table. "Let's go find this saviour of the Barkley Ranch something to ride. I think Dolly's up for some exercise."

"Hey!" Eugene protested loudly at the mention of the gentle old horse they kept around for visiting children as he followed his brothers.

Jarrod pushed back his chair and went to the other side of the table to give his mother a kiss. "I should get moving, too. See you at supper."

Victoria and Audra could hear the brothers' teasing banter continue as they left the house.

"I suppose if we're having a party tomorrow night I should start making plans," the family matriarch stated.

"Why don't I write out invitations," Audra offered, "and deliver them when I go riding?"

Victoria smiled generously at her daughter. "Thank you, dear. I knew I could count on you. We'll have a wonderful welcome home party for your brother."

"Let's not make it too wonderful," Audra cautioned with a laugh, "or he'll just leave again so he gets another one next time he returns!"


	3. Chapter 3

Eugene pushed back his hat to wipe the perspiration off his brow. It was almost as hot as it had been back in the deserts of Egypt, but boy, he'd missed this valley. He patted the neck of the chestnut he was riding, glad to be on a horse rather than a camel and chuckled at the memory of riding those ill-tempered beasts. When he first rode one of the 'ships of the desert', the animal's attitude made him think of his brother Nick; loud, obnoxious and stubborn, but solidly dependable and willing to do a hard day's work. Eugene grinned and thought Heath would get a kick out of hearing the similarity between their big brother and a camel, sufficiently out of Nick's earshot, of course.

A rumble in the distance got Eugene's attention and he looked up to see dark clouds swiftly moving in their direction. The small herd of cattle, only a couple hundred head, shifted restlessly. Then, without warning, the beeves were startled by a flash of lightning and a crack of thunder that came out of the seemingly clear sky overhead. With a bawl of terror, a few of the animals took off and pushed the rest into a frantic stampede.

Eugene got his plunging mount under control and wildly looked around for his brothers. He spotted Nick just in time to see the dark-haired rancher's horse try to get away from the pounding hooves of the stampeding bovines, but the new mount Nick had decided to try out that day just wasn't quick enough. The shoulder of a barreling steer caught the unfortunate horse across the hindquarters. He went down and his rider managed to jump clear before getting trapped beneath the thousand pound animal.

"Nick!" Eugene spurred his horse toward his downed brother, heading off several steers rushing in his direction. Heath rode up a moment later with his horse Charger nimbly cutting off a few more beeves.

Nick slowly pushed himself out of the dirt with a groan. "Where the devil did that come from?" he growled, gesturing at the rapidly darkening sky.

"Dunno, Nick," Heath said with a shrug as he gave his brother a hand up. "Sky was all clear a few minutes ago, it's almost like someone up there's mad at us." Heath turned slowly to Eugene. "Or something."

"What do you mean, something?" Nick wanted to know. He limped to his horse who had just gotten to his feet, patted the black and started to check him over before turning back to Heath, who was still looking at Eugene. "Now wait just a minute. You're not still thinking of that ridiculous curse idea you had last night?"

"Well, it all fits," Heath replied. "Freak storm coming up like that, cattle stampeding, your horse going down…"

Nick was about to make a scathing retort when Eugene broke in, anxious to change the subject. "Speaking of storms and cattle, are we going after the herd or trying to get home before the rain really hits?"

Another boom of thunder reverberated over the valley, making the horses start.

"Those steers are probably scattered halfway to town by now," Nick conceded irritably, "it'll take forever to get them rounded up. Day's already wasted, might as well try to get under cover." He swung back onto his horse just as the skies opened up and soaked them all in a matter of seconds.

Heath gave Eugene a pointed look and the younger man averted his eyes.

The three sodden men arrived back at the house just as the storm abated and the skies became a brilliant blue once more. Heath again gave Eugene an accusing look as they grabbed towels from the bunkhouse to dry off, not wanting to endure Victoria or Silas' wrath by dripping all over the floor of the house.

Walking through the kitchen door, Heath managed to catch his mother before he completely ran her over.

"Is everything all right, Ma?" Eugene asked, concerned about the worried look on her face.

"I'm so glad you're home," Victoria said hurriedly. "I need one of you to fetch the buggy and take Silas into town."

Eugene felt a shiver down his spine as Nick demanded, "Why? What happened?"

"It's nothing, Mr. Nick." Silas came out of the house with a blood-spotted bandage around his hand and a few crimson spots of the cuff of his normally immaculate white jacket. "Mrs. Barkley, she just worries too much, is all."

Nick hooked a thumb through his belt. "Well, normally I'd agree with you, Silas, but that looks kind of serious."

"Just a scratch," Silas asserted. "The knife slipped as I was chopping vegetables, it's nothing to worry about."

Victoria gave her longtime friend and retainer a stern look. "Now, Silas, I'm sure it's going to need stitches. One of the boys will drive you into town to see Dr. Merar."

"I will, Ma," Eugene volunteered quickly. He didn't like the look Heath was giving him and wanted to get away before his blond brother started going on about ancient Egyptian curses again.

"Thank you, sweetheart."

Eugene hurried off to get the buggy. "Just a couple unfortunate incidents," he muttered to himself. "Absolutely nothing to do with those artifacts I brought home."

Some of the workers during the excavations had muttered about disturbing their ancestors and when they unsealed the tomb, a few refused to come back to work, no matter what the pay. The youngest Barkley was a bit surprised that the normally straight-thinking Heath was showing the same superstitious streak, but then, one never knew until confronted with a particular situation. Wondering what sort of things happened to that carnival Heath worked at to make him so skittish, Eugene continued to the stable to have Ciego hitch up the buggy for the trip to town.

The ride to town was uneventful, much to Eugene's relief. He and Silas talked about the various goings on in the valley over the period of the youngest Barkley's absence; not gossip precisely, but enough information that Eugene felt he had a good idea of the important happenings of the people he grew up with.

As they reached town, however, there was an unmistakable smell of smoke in the air and as they turned down the street where Dr. Merar's office was located, a crowd of people were standing in the street in front of Jarrod's law practice, along with the new pumper truck recently acquired by the fire department. Eugene pulled the buggy to a halt and both men alighted to stare at the burned shell of the building next door.

Eugene scanned the crowd for his brother's familiar face and sighed with relief when he spotted the dark-haired barrister's soot-stained form.

"Jarrod! Thank God you're all right! What happened?"

Jarrod pulled his handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his face. "Fire broke out in the store beside my office. I think everyone got out okay, and the fire's under control, but… well, you can see what's left." The lawyer shook his head somberly. "And most of the books and papers in my office are ruined. It's going to take weeks to redo all that work." He regarded Eugene quizzically. "What are you doing in town, Gene? I thought you were out on the range with Nick and Heath."

Eugene gestured to Silas. "Silas had a bit of an accident."

"It was nothing, but Mrs. Barkley, she insisted I come see Dr. Merar," Silas explained. "If there's nothing I can do here, I'll just head to his office. I'll meet you back here, Mr. Eugene."

Eugene nodded absently as an uncomfortable thought entered his mind and demanded consideration. "Jarrod," he asked slowly, "weren't you going to bring one of the Egyptian jars to your office?"

"I'm sure it wasn't hurt in the fire, Gene," Jarrod reassured him. "The office mostly just suffered smoke and water damage."

"Uh, yeah." Eugene wasn't really concerned about that at the moment; he was thinking more of what Heath was going say, even though no rational man should believe in curses. "Well, as long as everything's okay here, I'm going to head over to Dr. Merar's and check on Silas."

"Could you let Mother know I'll be late for supper?" Jarrod sighed as he looked towards his office. "I've got a lot of work to do."

"Sure, Jarrod." Eugene walked slowly down the street.

_But after things started happening, I can tell you it'd make a believer out of anybody._ Heath's words echoed in his mind. Eugene told himself it was all a string of coincidences, but maybe, just maybe, a tiny part of him was starting to believe.


	4. Chapter 4

Eugene couldn't shake an air of foreboding as he checked his tie in the mirror one last time. He'd spent the last evening and all day avoiding any mention of curses and fervently hoped Heath wouldn't say anything during the party tonight. He heard his mother call that the first guests would be arriving soon and hurried down the stairs. The party was for him and it just wouldn't do to be late. As he stepped off the last step, Eugene's ankle turned and he landed in an ungraceful heap at Audra's feet.

"Gene, are you all right?" his sister asked with concern as she helped him up.

Eugene gingerly put weight on the affected leg. It hurt, but not badly. "Don't think anything's broken, guess I'm just lucky."

A knock was heard at the door and the two youngest Barkleys went to greet their first guests.

Soon, the house was filled with laughing people, friends and neighbours pleased to welcome the youngest Barkley son back to the valley. Particularly Allison Chalmers. Allison was a friend of Audra's, a few years younger than Eugene's sister. The adults had always referred to the red haired girl as a 'late bloomer' but Eugene just thought of her as a pest when she used to follow him around. But looking at Allison, he finally understood exactly what they meant. Her copper coloured hair was piled fashionably atop her head and her figure was just as curvy now as it had been straight before. She had apparently just arrived back in Stockton herself, having attended a fashionably women's college in Boston and was dressed in what Audra assured him was the latest style.

"So you were in Egypt?" Allison asked, intrigued. "Is it just as exotic and fascinating as everyone says?"

Eugene nodded, enchanted by Allison's attention. "Parts of it, at least. The Pyramids, the bazaars, the Nile…" He paused as he recollected the mighty river. "You know the San Joaquin delta?" At Allison's nod, he continued. "Well, it's a small slough compared to the Nile."

"I've always wanted to travel overseas," Allison gushed with a dramatic sigh. "I hope I get the chance to someday. To see the museums and cathedrals of Europe, plus the shopping, I can't imagine anything more exciting." She laughed, a slightly artificial sound, but it was still music to Eugene's ears. "But since both of us have just come back, I think you'll agree it's nice to be back home."

Eugene was absolutely mesmerized by her dazzling smile. "Are you planning to stay in Stockton?" he wanted to know. Maybe he could look into finishing his medical training closer to home.

"For the time being," Allison informed him. "Mother insists on introducing me to every eligible bachelor in town." She placed a well-manicured hand on Eugene's arm. "I can say, sometimes it's a pleasure."

Eugene wondered if the room was actually getting warmer, or if it was just his proximity to the lovely Allison. But it made for a perfect opening.

"Would you like to go outside and get some air?" he asked sociably. "I believe the roses are still blooming."

Allison gave him another heart-stopping smile. "I'd love to, Eugene."

He offered her his arm and they made their way outside. A chill breeze made Eugene shiver as they strolled over to the rosebushes. Allison leaned over to sample the fragrance of a large, pink blossom.

That was when tragedy struck. Somehow, Eugene's injured ankle, which had been fine most of the evening, spasmed and turned, causing him to lose his balance. He tried to right himself, but it was too late. Eugene tumbled into Allison and knocked her headfirst into the flowerbed.

Eugene hastily got up from where he'd landed on the girl and attempted to help Allison to her feet. She shoved his hands away and pulled herself up.

Allison looked down at her dirtied and torn dress in dismay. "Eugene Barkley, how could you?" she wailed. "You've ruined my dress! It came all the way from Paris!" She tried to push her disheveled hair into place, but only succeeded in streaking dirt across her forehead. "I hate you!" she screeched and rushed back into the house.

Eugene could faintly hear her crying, "Mother! Take me home this instant!" Allison's distress, combined with her appearance, was likely causing a stir and Eugene decided the wisest thing he could do was just stay out of sight.

He found a shadowy spot beneath a large tree and sank to the ground. His homecoming had not been the triumphant return he envisioned. Instead, it had just been one disaster after another. Eugene sighed, buried his face in his hands and waited for the guests to leave.

When he thought it was safe, Eugene made his way back to the house. He quietly entered the deserted parlour, walked over to the table where the Egyptian jars currently resided and stared at them.

"Reckon you're going to get rid of them now?"

Eugene turned slowly to face Heath, who was standing behind him.

"You know, Heath, you may be right, there might be something to this curse business after all." Eugene gave the artifacts a regretful look. "I think I'll start looking around for a museum that might want to take them."

Heath slung a companionable arm around his brother's shoulders. "Don't forget, a curse and a blessing are only different sides of the same coin." He reached up and tousled Eugene's hair before the younger man could react. "Without that curse, you may have ended up married to the likes of Allison Chalmers."

"And that might indeed have been the biggest curse of all," Eugene acknowledged, laughing, as the two brothers headed up the stairs.

.

.

_Historical notes: William Flinders Petrie was born in England in 1853 and after his excavations at Giza in 1880-1883, became a__ professor of Egyptian Archaeology at University College, London.__ The Petrie Museum in London houses one of the world's leading collections of Egyptian artifacts in the world today. _

_Tales of the Mummy's Curse have existed in literature since the 1820's. Louisa May Alcott published a story entitled "Lost in a Pyramid or The Mummy's Curse" in 1869, even before Howard Carter's discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb in 1922._


End file.
